CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS IRISH DANCE A dancer takes the stage Then two more join him Their arms stay at their sides But their legs are moving fast Their feet strike the ground in unison The crowd can’t get enough of the Irish dancers An Irish dancing group takes the stage
A group of Irish dancers entertains a crowd There are two main types of Irish dancing Some Irish dances are social Others are for performance Both began in the 1700s with dance masters Dance masters
were traveling dance teachers They traveled among Irish villages and taught people how to dance The masters developed group dances These became known as figure dances People performed them at social gatherings called ceilis kay-leez Figure dances are performed in formations Some have as few as two dancers Others have large groups And the steps are simple That means anyone can learn them
